


To Love and to Armor

by jwriter819



Series: Armored Family [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe-No Powers, F/M, Kid Harley Keener, Kid Peter Parker, Teen Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:22:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24104350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jwriter819/pseuds/jwriter819
Summary: Three years after the end of A Family Armor it's time for the Armstrong Family to take the next step in solidifying their relationships forever. They've been through countless ups and downs and yet still there was something left undone.Find out what it looks like when our favorite family takes the next step in their development in more ways than one finally making their family of choice whole...can you say wedding?
Relationships: Happy Hogan/May Parker (Spider-Man), Harley Keener & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Harley Keener & Tony Stark, James "Bucky" Barnes & Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Armored Family [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1702042
Comments: 3
Kudos: 42





	To Love and to Armor

**Author's Note:**

> :D I really enjoyed writing this and I'm so happy to share this with all of you.

This was going to be a perfect night. He had planned everything down to the letter. He had babysitters, champagne chilling, and his wife was completely unsuspecting. Glancing to his right he saw Bucky sinking in the seat as if he wanted to be anywhere but there. Oh well, he figured the kid would learn. With a quick glance in the backseat, he found his two younger boys staring deep into their screens. For a second he saw Peter look up smiling. Ok, maybe the youngest was his favorite. 

“Alright, we’re here,” Tony said slamming the break. He wasted no time before jumping out of his truck and pulled both of the smaller boys out at a hastened pace. Harley shrugged the man off and Peter looked up at him bewildered as he was manhandled from the backseat of the truck. 

"Dad? What's wrong with you?" Tony ignored his middle son and started pulling the boys' bags out of the truck. Seriously, you're being weird." Again Tony ignored them. 

"Don't worry, he's just nervous," Bucky said in a voice still far too deep for Tony’s liking. Tony turned at them and glared before huffing. 

"Alright, I've given Uncle Happy and Aunt May everything you guys need. We love you but don’t call unless you’re dying.” All three boys rolled their eyes at his dramatics. “Axel, don’t sneak out and no driving this weekend. Miles and JJ I better not get any calls about you two blowing anything up for the cops showing up here," he threatened. 

“Aww Dad, we haven’t had that happen in years,” Peter whined.

“Yeah, sure,” Tony snorted. He glanced around looking at each of his boys again. Amy was already inside as May had picked her up from daycare. 

He leaned forward and put rapid kisses on each of his sons' heads. Harley huffed and pulled his face back. “Do you still have to do that?” 

“I’ll do it always,” Tony said knowing that they were all squirming at the thought of their dad still kissing them. “Alright, remember what I said. Be good.” 

“Just go,” Bucky said looking around. 

“It’s not his fault you came home two hours late,” Peter said smiling. Without even flinching Bucky knocked Peter’s legs out from under him causing his brother to hit the ground with an oomph. Harley rolled his eyes and offered Peter a hand to help get him off the ground. Knowing that it would mortify his oldest, Tony grabbed the boy’s cheeks and planted a wet kiss on the teen’s head.

“Dad!” Smiling Tony let the squirming oldest teen go. 

“Don’t worry, your girlfriend isn’t around,” Tony said with a smile. “Besides she texted you earlier and I let her know you were grounded.”

“What?” With a smile, Tony jumped back in the truck and headed back to his house. 

“Love you,” he called out as he drove away. The kids were set for the weekend. 

Now, he just had to get home to his wife and make her night.

~/~

An hour later Pepper was giggling into Tony’s hands as the man led out down the porch steps and into the lawn. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise!” 

“Well, I hope it’s not a lizard. I almost fell over when Miles put that in my hands last week,” Pepper said smiling. 

“Well, he didn’t lie, right?” Pepper tried to turn to smack her husband but stumbled a bit before catching herself. 

“I don’t know if I want either of you leading me into the unknown.”

“Oh, I think you’ll like this.”

“How can you be so sure?” Tony smirked before removing his hands. Standing back he watched Pepper gasp. The newly built gazebo was arrayed with shimmering crystals and woven in floodlights that gave the night sky a warm hue. Arranged around the edges were rose petals in every color that Tony could find. Right in the middle of the gazebo though was the best gift of all...a picnic blanket with a basket sitting right on top. Pepper could see the champagne sticking out from miles away. “Oh Baby,” she said, completely lost in what she was seeing. She stepped up the stairs and went into the gazebo smiling at the details that were before her. It was a magical scene straight out of a fairytale. Tears came to her eyes as she gazed upon the scene once more. When she turned around toward the blanket again there were two candles right in the middle of two plates. Looking around she wondered when that happened. “Baby, this is amazing!” Spinning again she didn’t see Tony anywhere. “Baby?” 

“I’m right here,” the voice said from behind her. Pepper gasped as she turned.

Tony was down on one knee. 

For a moment it was like time stood still.

~/~

Bucky threw a pillow at Peter’s head as the boy was jumping up on the bed. “Get down,” the teen grumped.

“Oh leave him alone,” Harley said, not looking up from his cellphone.

“Miles, now!” The now ten-year-old rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue. 

“Uncle Happy doesn’t mind, me and Charlie jump on the beds a bunch,” Peter said. “Besides you’re just mad you can’t drive for two weeks.” Bucky rolled his eyes. Being the older brother was definitely more fun when they feared him.

Standing up he moved to go into the living room. “Aunt May you need help with dinner?” Before he made it down the hall a small girl ran and jumped into his arms. If it was one of his brothers he would have told them to buzz off, but Charlie well she was different. “Hey there!”

“Hi, Ax! I see you wanted to come and help us instead of your gross smelling brothers.” Bucky chuckled.

“They don’t smell that bad.” Charlie used her small hand to move Bucky’s face so he was looking right at hers. “Ok, well maybe they do.” 

“We’re having spaghetti and meatballs. I’m helping Mama make the garlic bread. It’s boring, but I’d let you help me.” 

“Oh, you’ll let me help?” She nodded.

“If you do I won’t tell my Uncle Tony and Aunt Pepper that you didn’t come over here last weekend.” Bucky rolled his eyes and set Charlie on the counter. She was becoming almost as annoying as his brothers. 

“Don’t worry Axel, Charlie’s not doing any extorting this weekend are you?” Ax turned and looked at Aunt May with a smile. 

He knew that she was as amazing as his mom. 

“Aunt May for the win!” She smirked at him before motioning him forward. 

“With us working together we can get dinner ready in no time.”

~/~

Pepper’s heart was hammering in her chest. Tony was kneeling looking up at her with those big brown eyes that looked so much like Bucky’s it was insane. She could see the unshed tears on them.

“Emma,” Tony started. Pepper stuck her lip out and put her hand over her mouth. “You are the most amazing woman that I’ve ever met.” He chuckled nervously. “When I met you all those years ago, I didn’t ever think that we would be here together all these years later with a brood like ours. JJ, Ax, Miles, and Amy are the four best gifts I’ve ever been given on this earth, well aside from you that is. Emma Abigail Armstrong, will you make an honest man out of me and marry me?” With tears flowing freely down her cheeks now, Pepper didn’t know what to say. 

Weren’t they already married?

“Babe,” she managed to say.

“You sure know how to leave a guy hanging, huh?” Pepper laughed and smacked him on the shoulder. 

“I will marry you every day for a thousand years,” she said. With a creak and a bit of help from Pepper, he stood up and engulfed her into a passionate kiss. “I love you,” she said in between kisses. 

“And I love you,” he said back. Pulling away he smiled at her as their foreheads were gently resting together. “I brought us some of your favorite desserts,” he said. “And our children our safely away with the best babysitters in Canada.” Pepper smiled and pulled away before taking Tony by the hand.

“I think there was one dessert you forgot Mr. Amrstrong.” Tony raised his eyebrow before smirking at his wife. “Think you can keep me warm,” she asked, smirking. In one swift movement, Tony had his wife in a bridal style carry as he practically ran with her back toward the house. “Jude,” she screeched playfully as he ran. 

“What? The good fondue is upstairs,” he said. Pepper rolled her eyes as they shared a laugh.

~/~

**Three Months Later**

Pepper was sitting with May in the small kitchen area sipping tea while they watched May’s husband Happy watching the kids as he gently tossed Amy up into the air. 

It had been a long time since Pepper had a friend quite like May, but she knew the moment that they both showed up to register their children for school that they would be best friends. May walked into the small primary school that day three years ago demanding that they make room for her niece Charlotte. When the administrator started to explain that the classrooms were full, May pulled out her paperwork that outlined how illegal it was to discriminate against children of mixed race. The secretary had paled and started to click away on her computer. 

Pepper knew an amazing woman when she saw one and May Hogan was definitely that. 

With a quick glance, Pepper saw Harley looking down at the game with great disinterest. She sighed knowing that her boy was rapidly phasing into his teenage years. She wondered just how long it would take before he was brooding and slamming doors like his older brother. 

“So, what’s on your mind Pep?” Turning to look at the friend who felt more like a sister, Pepper smiled. 

“Just thinking about time and how quickly it flies.” 

“Oh I know,” May sighed out. “Just yesterday Charlie was coming to us on those weekend visits and now she’s our baby. Oh look,” she said as Amy sailed through the air giggling. “Happy just loves babies. I haven’t seen him smile quite like that in a while.” 

“Oh trust me, Amy loves her uncle Happy. She asks for him all the time,” Pepper said with a smile. “I think Jude’s a bit jealous.”

“I don’t see how! Charlie’s got Jude wrapped around her finger.” Both women shared a laugh. It was so nice to have family that you could trust. When things were difficult or if Pepper was having a bad day she knew that May was one call away. There were so many times when they would pack up Amy and the two of them would escape for a day just to clear their heads. In many ways, May was the sister that Pepper never had and Happy was the secure confidant that Tony had missed. 

Together these four adults made sure that everyone in their little circle was taken care of. 

The two women talked a bit more before Happy appeared holding a giggling Amy. “She wants her mama,” the man said smiling and handing the baby to Pepper. He offered Pepper a kiss on her cheek before kissing his own wife on the lips. “Bye Amy!”

“Bye Unca Happy!” With a happy smile, the man leaned down and gave his wife another kiss. 

“I've got to go. Jude says the shop’s pretty busy and they could use a hand,” Happy said. “So I’ll head out and be back for family night.” May nodded before grabbing a bottle of water. 

“Charlie, Pappa’s gotta go, baby,” he called over the loud game. The girl didn’t move a muscle. “I don’t know how they play that thing so loud.” 

“Charlotte, come tell your dad bye,” May said rolling her eyes. With that, the girl got up and rushed toward her father. 

“Bye Pappa!” The man leaned down and gave his daughter a big hug. 

“Be good for Mama, ok? Eat all the green stuff at dinner.” Charlie rolled her eyes openly. Happy tapped her on the nose. “Not cute.” 

“I hate vegetables,” they heard the girl huffed. Pepper tried to hide her laugh. That little girl sure had moxie. With a smile, Charlie came and sat on Pepper’s lap.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” Charlie shrugged.

“Boys can be so exhausting,” the little girl said, making her mother and aunt laugh.

~/~

Tony was sitting at the counter watching Bucky assist several customers’ orders. He turned back to his computer smiling as he went over the numbers again. Things were going very well for his once startup business. It was now consistently getting customers and providing for his family quite easily. In the three years since they had arrived in Canada, he was surrounded by more happiness than he could dream of. Sure they had their ups and downs especially with a house full of kids, but things worked. Things were never better with him and Pepper and each of their kids were excelling in their own ways.

Fury had definitely known what he was doing and Tony would always be grateful for that.

“Dad,” Bucky whispered from his spot just behind the counter. Tony looked up to see his son gesturing with his head toward Happy. What the man saw was hysterical. The older man had a tablet up to his head trying to help a customer figure out how to use the camera. 

“See ma’am, it’s very easy. You’ll be able to see your grandkids in no time,” Happy said. 

“Should I go help,” Bucky asked with a wide smile. Tony shook his head with a wide smile. This was just too juicy.

His life was so full.

~/~

Tony was so ready to get home and drop. They hadn’t had a day like this in a while. He knew that the older boys were out so he was hoping that Peter and Amy were either napping or otherwise occupied so that he could rest for a bit.

He set his bag down on the couch before kicking off his shoes. Moving toward the kitchen he grabbed a soda before replacing it for a bottle of carbonated water. He jumped when he turned around and saw his youngest boy standing right in front of him staring up at him.

Leaning down he got a kiss from the boy. “Hey Bug!” Tony frowned when he saw the guilty yet distressed look on the boy’s face. “Ok, what’d you do?” 

It was that statement that broke the dam. “I didn’t mean to break it,” he said, puffing which Tony knew meant tears were about to come. “Mama’s all mad at me now and I had to stay in my room all afternoon. Please don’t be mad at me, I’m really sorry!” 

Moving around the boy he moved toward the island. “Tell me what’s wrong?” 

“Well Mama said you would, but JJ said if I came and talked to you first that you would understand Mama was being mean and wouldn’t listen. Please just hear me first.”

Tony reached down and set his youngest boy up on the counter. “Buddy, tell me what you’re talking about. I don’t understand. I can’t do anything until I know.” The little boy recounted the story and Tony felt pulled. He had told them specifically not to skate inside, but he could see why Peter was going stir crazy. 

Peter sniffed and took a deep breath before looking up at Tony with wet eyelashes. “Ms. Pierce said Mama told her that you were gonna spank me when you got home for not listening to Mama. She said I was inconsiderate.” Peter blew out a breath. “I know I wasn’t supposed to skate in the house, but Mama won’t let me go outside.” Tony chewed his lip before pulling Peter off the counter. 

“I’m going to check on Amy and your mom then I’ll come check on you in your room a bit later, ok?” Peter didn’t respond as he trudged forward with his head down looking miserable.

~/~

Tony walked into the bedroom that he shared with his wife. She was laying on her side staring out the window. “Hey beautiful,” he breathed. No matter how long they were together she still pulled his breath away.

Every time. 

Pepper rolled over with a smile before sitting up. “Hello, Mr. Armstrong. How are you?” Tony chuckled and moved to sit down next to her. 

“I’m good,” with a smile he leaned his head against hers, “what about you?”

“I’ve had better days,” she said smiling. 

“I thought you were going to take the kids to play shopping.” Pepper shook her head.

“Charlie has a fever and I didn’t want to expose Miles and Amy to it. So we lounged around mostly. JJ and Miles were outside playing for a while and I found the cutest color combination for these pictures. They’re going to be adorable.” 

Tony leaned backward on his hands. “Pep, do we really need to do pictures right now?”

His wife turned to him with eyes narrowed. “The season is perfect. The lighting will be great and the boys are getting so big. We did Amy’s two-year-old pictures a couple of months ago and she’s so much bigger since then. Now is definitely the perfect time.”

“Pep,” he started, but she kept going. 

“You know that Ax is going to be leaving for his job at the camp soon and JJ is staying at his friend’s houses more. Plus he just had that growth spurt and no we definitely need to take pictures now.” 

“I know, but Pep you’re driving us crazy. I mean patterns, colors, new destinations every other day. Every day you bombard us with new information. Is it this serious?”

“I just want this one to be perfect,” she challenged. 

“Ok, and we can have pictures Pep, but you’re driving everybody crazy.” With the glare that she was giving him, he knew that he probably should just drop the idea. “So can you explain what’s going on with Miles?” 

“You mean our little runaway?” 

“What? When did he run away?”

“It doesn’t matter now. He left this afternoon and after I told him to come inside then he broke the window. I didn’t see what happened. I was putting Amy down for a nap when I heard the glass break.”

“Did you punish him for leaving without permission?” He watched her hands start to tremble. “Is that why you made him come inside in the first place? Was he not listening then?”

“You know why,” she said with a bit of heat in her voice. 

“He’s old enough to stay in the front by himself.”

“No he’s not Jude and you know it,” she almost yelled. He moved forward and quickly grabbed the hand of his wife who was now trembling visibly. 

“Pep, we’re ok. We’re safe. You know that.” 

“No, I don’t. It’s only been three years Tony. He went outside by himself one time and then you know what I almost lost him. Then it happened when we were supposed to be safe. I can’t do that again. I just can’t.” At those words, his heart broke. He moved toward Pepper and wrapped his arms around her. 

“It’s ok baby.” Pepper didn’t cry, but Tony could feel the tenseness in her body as it rested against his. “We’re ok. Our babies are ok. We’re all safe.” 

“I try to not think about it, but some days it feels exactly the same. He was so small when they carried him out of that house. The fear in his eyes, I can’t go through that again.”

“Pep, you can’t keep him locked in the house forever. It’s not fair to him.”

“We live on two acres surrounded by trees. How do I know if I send him outside to play that he won’t go missing?” 

“No one knows where we are and I’ve got us protected in every manner that I can. I promise you. We are safe. Miles is safe.” Pepper wiped her eyes with her hands but stood up. 

“Amy’s crying,” she said. Tony sighed. He knew that the baby wasn’t crying but he knew better than to chase her when she was like that.

~/~

After taking a shower, Tony decided that now was a good time to talk to their youngest boy. “Miles?” Tony found his youngest sitting on his bed looking at a video on his tablet. He chuckled at the gross bottom feet the boy had.

“Oh, hi Daddy,” he said sadly. Tony moved and sat down on the end of Peter’s bed. The small boy leaned into Tony’s side. He wasted no time wrapping his arm around Peter. 

“What happened today and this time I want the whole story, not just the ending.” 

“I don’t wanna tell you.” 

“Do it anyway, Bug. Come on.” 

“JJ and I were playing outside, but then Cory came over and they went to his house to get ready for soccer practice. Well, I couldn’t go because well you know I suck.” Tony chuckled but he nodded.

“Go on.” 

“Well, I wanted to work on my rockets but Mama said I had to come inside because JJ was gone. It just made me so mad. I’m ten! I’m not a baby anymore. When JJ was ten he could play outside by himself. Even Aunt May lets Charlie play in the front yard by herself, but she has to stay close to the house. She’s only a couple of months older than me.”

“Keep going, Miles.”

Tony watched the boy sigh and start to fidget with his hands. “Well, I grabbed my bike and went to see Sam, but I felt bad for leaving so I turned around, but Ms. Pierce saw me and she made me come to her. She walked me back home and right up to the porch where Mama was standing waiting. Mama was crying when I saw her and she screamed at me and told me to go to my room. I waited in the foyer for a second and that’s when I heard Mama tell Ms. Pierce you were gonna spank me for scaring her.”

“So I’m guessing that you came out of your room because you were skateboarding in the house and broke the window in the living room?” Peter nodded sadly. Tony leaned down and kissed the boy’s hair. 

“You little man are a magnet for trouble, you know that?” 

“I got an A on my science test.” Tony glared down at his son who was trying desperately to get himself out of trouble. “I know it was wrong, but I was frustrated,” Peter said. “JJ and Ax can do so much and I get to sit in here with Mama all the time. Even Charlie gets to do more than me. It’s embarrassing.” 

Tony bit his lip as he looked down at the miserable little boy. Once again he could see the frustration, but it broke every rule they had about playing outside. If it was Harley at that age he would have spanked him with no questions asked, but Peter was different. If you just looked at him he tended to melt. 

“Well you’re a big boy now, right?” Peter nodded. “So I’m going to let you choose.”

“Really? I get to choose my punishment?” 

“Don’t get so excited. You’re right you’re growing up and we need to give you some more say in your life.” Peter was smiling expectantly. “You can get a spanking or you can be grounded for a week.” Peter’s smile fell. 

“A whole week?” Tony nodded doing his best not to laugh at his youngest. The longest Peter had ever been grounded for was three days. 

“You want a punishment like your brothers and this is it.”

“When Harley got grounded for a week he couldn’t play any video games and he had to go to bed early. He couldn’t even go to soccer practice. Will I have to do that too?” Tony nodded.

“It’s part of the punishment. See big kids they get more time to think about their actions because they’re better able to make good decisions so when they make bad ones we have to make sure they know that we don’t like it. Remember when Ax didn’t answer his phone and came home two hours after curfew?” 

“Yeah, Mama said he couldn’t drive for two weeks.”

“And he got grounded. You know why?”

“‘Cause he’s supposed to know better?” Tony nodded. 

“He knew that it was wrong to break his curfew and it was also wrong to not answer our calls. We were very scared and he knew that so he had to be punished.” 

“Two weeks is such a long time though.” Tony sighed, he wasn’t sure if Peter didn’t want to get it or was just trying to play dumb.

“You know how when Aunt May and Uncle Happy had Scooter the little boy who used to live with them? And you two snuck under their porch and made your Aunt May worry when you wouldn’t answer. Remember what I said to you then?”

“You said I was old enough to know better and he was a little kid who wasn’t sure.” Tony nodded. “Being a big kid is no fun.” Tony laughed and stood up. 

“I’m going to get dinner started. You think about your choices and we’ll talk again before dinner, ok?” Peter nodded looking shellshocked.

~/~

Tony was humming an old Italian song while he was making a fancy little dinner for his family. Pepper came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Hey beautiful. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“You’re right. Let’s put a pause on the pictures for a while,” she said. 

That shocked Tony quite a bit. “Are you sure,” he asked as he stirred the Risotto.

“We can do something around Christmas.” She reached forward and grabbed his hand that was holding the pan before placing her forehead on his back. “I need to tell you something. I’ve really been all over the place recently and it scared me.” She blew out a breath. “I thought it was a combination of me getting older and feeling a bit sad about Ax, but I think it’s something else.” With that, Tony turned the dish on low and turned to face his wife. 

This sounded big. 

“It’s ok. Whatever it is, Pep we can manage it.” 

“Last time I felt like this, Amy was born.” Tony stopped and looked into his wife’s blue orbs. 

“Wait, what? Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“I think I’m pregnant.” 

The next forty-five minutes were a blur as Tony frantically rushed out to get a slew of pregnancy tests while trying not to freak out. He was getting older and their oldest was graduating high school this year and they might be having a baby! 

He was sitting holding Pepper’s hand as they waited for each of the five pregnancy tests to tell them their fate. With a chime, the timer went off. 

“You want to look?” Tony turned and looked at Pepper. “You haven’t gotten to see one of these up close, right?” With a determined nod, Tony stood up and moved toward the sticks of plastic that held their fate.

He bit his lip and stopped before he got too close. “Miles!” Seconds later he heard the pitter-patter of feet before the mop of curls appeared in their door. 

“Yes?” Tony got a wide smile on his face. He beckoned the boy over.

“Go over to that table and tell us what those sticks say,” Tony told his youngest son. Peter looked up confused but shrugged and made his way toward the sticks.

“Well?”

“They say pregnant,” Peter said confused. Pepper wiped her eyes before covering her mouth. 

“We’re having a baby,” Tony said. With a smile, Pepper rushed into her husband’s arms. “We’re having a baby!”

“Lucky number five,” she said, kissing him. 

“We're having another baby,” Peter asked. Tony smiled at the boy and nodded. “There goes the neighborhood,” Peter said matter of factly. Both adults snorted before Tony pulled Peter in for a hug. Pepper smiled before she bent down looking at Peter. She grabbed the little boy’s hand before kissing his forehead. 

“You are always going to be my baby, Miles Armstrong. I’m sorry if I’ve babied you too much.” Peter smiled looking up at her. 

“I’m really sorry that I scared you. I won’t ever do that again. I love you, Mama.” Looking at the scene Tony couldn’t help but smile.

“How about we call it even, huh Bug?”

“Yeah, I think you're right. Miles has learned his lesson, right Miles?” With a hopeful look in his eye, Peter nodded. 

“I have Mama for real! Tell her, Daddy!” Tony loved that little guy. 

“How about we get some ice cream and celebrate,” Tony asked with a smile. 

“I’ll go tell Amy,” Peter said, taking off toward his sister’s room next door. Pepper looked at Tony and they got lost in each other’s eyes. 

“That was perfect, Mr. Armstrong.” With a smile, he kissed his wife before leaning forward and letting their foreheads touch.

“I thought so too.”

~/~

The next day was a beautiful crisp day with the sun shining and the birds chirping. It was one of those rare days that saw everybody around for a barbecue. The boys were either in their rooms or playing on the giant Slip ‘N Slide that he’d built with the boys. It was about 20 feet long and fed them into a soft ramp at the end that sent them launching into the air before landing on a giant inflatable. He chuckled to himself as he watched Harley sail through the air again.

A few minutes later he hears a squeal and smiles when Peter went flying through the air. “Uncle Jude?” 

“Yes, Charlie?” 

“I wanted to see what you were doing.” He rolled his eyes at the little girl who already was looking around the engine that he was working on. 

“Why aren’t you playing with the other kids? I bet that’s a lot more fun.” The little girl licked the juice pop on her hand before she looked closer at the machinery. 

“What’s that?” 

“That’s the radiator.”

“And that’s the electrical box, right?” Tony nodded.

“Yes, it is. Charlie girl, don’t you want to play with the other kids? You can do some flips in the air like your cousins.” 

The little girl looked up at the water slide then back at the engine. “No, I like it here with you.” 

“Is that so?”

“Yep.”

“And why is that?”

“‘Cause you let me touch your cars. Pappa always grumbles when I ask.” Tony rolled his eyes. You know something? I heard my mama talking to Auntie Pepper," she said sipping on a popsicle. 

Tony smirked. "And?" 

"What's in it for me," she asked, smirking. Tony stopped and gave the girl a playful glare.

“Well, I still have your tablet in my shop because of it’s broken screen. I might not fix it for you.” Charlie thought for a minute. 

“You have that broken one in your shop too. Pappa showed it to me the other day. Can you make that one mine?” Tony turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

“It depends on how good your knowledge is.” Charlie shrugged her shoulders before looking around and leaning in. What she whispered to Tony would change everything. “Ok, go get your dad for me. I’m going to need his help.” Charlie jumped off the crate she was standing on before she stopped and looked at him.

“Don’t forget our deal Uncle Jude.” The man rolled his eyes.

“Go,” he said, trying not to laugh. Kids.

~/~

Tony had a bit of a headache as he ushered his three sons and his daughter into a department store on a very secretive mission. It was not helping at all that his two oldest were completely oblivious to everything going on around them.

“Great, I’ve got two teenagers now,” Tony grumbled as he moved through the department store. Amy was bouncing against his hip while he tried to find color patterns for the boys. 

“Dad, can’t we just ask Aunt May to help us?” Tony rolled his eyes at his oldest.

“She’s already getting your mom’s dress.” Tony looked around and saw that none of the boys were paying him any attention. Peter was climbing onto a display and Tony was about to smack all three of them. “Miles, get down!” Tony sighed. “Look, guys, it’ll feel a lot better if we can all give Mom this gift, yeah? She’s never had anything big done like this for her before and I want to make this special and from all of us, ok?” As he looked around and saw the eyes of his three boys he smiled. He knew that he had them now. 

They were great men. 

Bucky sighed before setting his phone into his pocket. “So what are we looking for?”

“Well, our favorite colors are red. I was thinking we could all wear white shirts with red ties and khaki pants,” Tony said. 

“That sounds terrible,” Bucky shot back. 

With an eye roll, Tony replied, “Well what are you thinking?”

“That we need a woman’s help,” Harley said, smirking. Bucky offered his brother a high five.  
“You guys get on my nerves,” Tony huffed. 

“Don’t worry, we’ll help you,” Bucky said, turning to look around the store. 

Harley spoke this time, “What about those red and white Nike’s we saw at that other store?” 

Tony nodded. That sounded like a good idea. “Ok. What else?”

“We can wear red blazers like that one you have,” Bucky offered. With a relieved sigh, Tony nodded again. They were really coming together. 

After that things seemed to come together quickly. They were able to find Amy an adorable red and white dress with a flower pattern throughout. Each of the two younger boys would wear red suspenders while Bucky and Tony would wear red blazers. All of them would wear white shirts and white jeans. Six hours later they had everything they needed to pull off the biggest surprise of their relationship so far. 

Looking in the rearview mirror he couldn’t stop the smile that covered his face. Tomorrow he would give his wife the biggest surprise of her life which was so perfect because she had already given him the best gifts of his.

~/~

The day had finally arrived, with a happy smile on his face, Tony motioned for the harpist to start the beautiful song. He knew that it was only a matter of moments before his wife awoke to the sweetest sound on earth.

Just as predicted she woke up slowly with a start before rolling over. Sitting up she rubbed her eyes before yawning. “Jude?” 

“Good Morning my love,” he set a tray of egg whites, turkey sausage, kiwi, and orange juice down in front of her. With a kiss he watched a smile spread across her face. With the harpist still playing in the background, Tony watched his wife dig into the food with an elegance that only she possessed. Once Pepper finished eating, Tony gave her another kiss on the lips before stepping into the closet and producing the whitest dress that Pepper had ever seen before. 

“What’s this for?” 

“Today we’re going to take the family pictures the way that you envisioned.” Tears welled in Pepper’s eyes. “I’ve taken the liberty of doing all the dirty work so that you can relax. Just put on this dress and meet me downstairs in a few minutes.” 

“Jude, what?”

“No, questions,” he said with a smile. “I’ll see you soon, my love.” With that Tony escorted the young harpist out of the room before he made quick work of changing into his own clothes for the occasion. He finished with just a few moments to spare before he heard the door open and finally close. 

This was it. 

Tony’s breath caught in his throat when he watched Pepper descend down the stairs. In that white dress with the gorgeous red flower in her hair, she had never looked better. “May I have this honor,” he asked, extending his arm for her. 

“Of course,” she said with a smile. 

Time both stood still and moved far too rapidly for Tony’s liking. It seemed that he couldn’t reach their destination fast enough but yet it was still moving too fast. 

In a very short amount of time, he was going to marry the mother of his children and the absolute love of his life. For this day forward, it was no longer a marriage of necessity but one of true and honest choice. 

“Where are we going?” With a smile, Tony turned toward his love.

“To this beautiful place with great lighting.”

“And those are very important,” Pepper said with a smile. “I can’t believe how much thought you put into this Jude. This is amazing.” As if they had timed it perfectly Tony pulled into the small wooded area that seemed to be cut out from among the rest. “This is it?” With a smile, Tony nodded and parked the car. 

Tony moved to the passenger side of the car and helped Pepper out of the car. Just a few short moments later they were at the scene to end all scenes. Pepper was shocked to see several well-lit torches on the edge of a white linen tent. Right in front of the tent was a white wooden pallet that had red flowers down the edge. 

Her heart was beating deeply in her chest then she saw Happy, May, and Charlie were also there. Then she smiled when she saw her three little men and her baby girl all dressed to the nines appearing from behind the tent. 

“What’s going on?” Reaching for her hand Tony smiled as the boys moved along with Happy and make two lines in the front of the small wooden stage. Happy and Peter were on one side and Bucky and Harley were on the other.

“Ms. Emma Armstrong, today is your wedding day,” Tony said with a smile.

“What?”

“I’ve waited for this day for almost five years. Today, we can truly celebrate the choice that we made together.”

That day standing in front of their patchwork of a family that changed everything for them. Five years ago if you had asked any of them if they would be there standing together at that moment none of them would have believed you. They started out as strangers and became stronger than anything any of them could have ever imagined. 

As Pepper said her vows, tears were flowing down her cheeks as Tony stared deeply into her eyes. “Jude Armstrong, you are everything that I ever envisioned when I was a little girl. You protect me and our children, you cherish me, and you value me more than any man I’ve ever met. When I am with you I am safe and I know that my children are safe. Today I promise in front of you and everyone else that my love will always be tied to you. When we met I was a broken woman trying to piece everything together for the sake of my children. You came into my life and taught me how to trust men again, but most importantly you taught me how to be loved again. You are my knight in shining armor that changed everything for me and from this day forward let us never be apart.”

Silent tears slipped down Tony’s cheeks as he started his own vows. “You are everything I’ve ever wanted in a wife. You push me, you encourage me, and you call me on my crap. You are the only woman I would ever want to share my life with. When I lost my mother I didn’t know if I could ever find someone who loved me as unconditionally as she did. For the three years, I’ve never had to worry about it again. Today, my precious jewel, I’m not only marrying you but as I promised you before I’m pledging to be the father of these three fine young men. You’ve given me them and this wonderful baby girl. Because of you, I know what it feels like to be a father and to have a family.” 

A giant bee buzzed past Tony’s ear and he resumed looking at Pepper who was smiling like he’d never seen her do before. The moment was truly idyllic as he looked into her deep blue eyes. To think that she was going to give him yet another child was simply something dreams were made of.

Now as he stood there with a photographer snapping pictures left and right, Tony realized that love was truly the best armor any family could ever have.

"Mama! The bee stung me!" With an eye roll Tony pecked his wife on the lips as their idyllic scene became one of chaos. As Tony watched everyone scramble to come to the aid of their youngest son, he knew that he wouldn't have it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> There it is! 
> 
> The next epilogue will probably be the last, but I think you'll be soo satisfied.


End file.
